Call it offshoring. Or outsourcing. Or workforce globalization. Whatever you call it, you'll hit a nerve.

American corporations are increasingly looking overseas for cheap labor and higher profits. American workers are incensed, hurling accusations of runaway greed and griping about millions of lost jobs. And American politicians are being forced to address the issue, either waving the populist flag or standing behind global economic theory.

The Chronicle's Business section will be running a series of stories throughout the year on the offshoring of American jobs and what that means to us. By examining the forces driving workforce globalization, we intend to give readers a well-rounded view of an issue that will surely remain at the center of the political season but promises to resonate locally, nationally and globally far beyond November.

So, what does offshoring mean? It depends on who you ask. For most American workers, workforce globalization simply means U.S. jobs are heading overseas and causing pain on the home front. To others, it's a great opportunity to further increase productivity and shareholder returns, generating jobs in the process.

Consumers reap the benefits every day in the form of cheaper goods and services. Yet many fear for the privacy of their financial and health information. And some observers see this as an unstoppable economic force that is spreading wealth to countries that had been left behind in the industrial revolution. The Chronicle will be exploring all of these various points of view in telling the story of workforce globalization, commonly known as offshoring.

There are solid arguments on all sides, creating tension and drama. Follow the story in our series, "Looking Offshore."

OFFSHORING: BY THE NUMBERS

Definitive data on jobs shipped overseas is a hard thing to find. But there is no shortage of collateral figures on the phenomenon. The sheer volume of studies on this topic tells us that people are trying hard to quantify the trend. Here's a look at some of the numbers behind this national issue (and their source):

HOW MANY JOBS COULD WE LOSE?

3.3 million

The number of U.S. jobs expected to be outsourced by 2015 (Forrester)

14 million

The number of U.S. jobs vulnerable to outsourcing (UC Berkeley)

11 percent The percentage of U.S. jobs vulnerable to offshoring (UC Berkeley)